Group items tagged

The intended audience appears to be parents of middle school children, and the intended purpose is to try to explain why self confidence in middle school takes a hit. The article was written in 2010, and there is no evidence to suggest that the website has been updated since then. There is no information on the author, but she has written a lot of articles for this website. Unsure what her credentials are. The website provided a lot of good helpful information, but I would be hesitant to use it as an educational site, because there is not enough information about the author, and her expertise on the subject. The content of the article is about why students self esteem takes a hit in middle school. The author explains one way is bullying. She elaborates on the topic of why students are cruel during these years. She gets her information from a book written by an author with a PhD. This author is quoted many times, and the article is entirely based on this book. The problem is explained, then possible solutions for the victim students to stand up against their peers and build self-esteem. The author of the book is well educated, but that is all that is provided, and no information of the author of the article is provided. The website has some eye appeal, using bright colors such as pink to emphasize. The cover of the book the article is based on is provided. There are a lot of ads for other articles written on this website, and links to these articles both in and around the story. There are videos at the bottom of the page, explaining different articles and how-to's. There is also a comment section for readers to rate the page and write comments.

Elise Verley September 9, 2011 http://technologysource.org/ Overview: This is a basic site to review the articles from the peer-reviewed bimonthly periodical "The Technology Source". The purpose of this site is to allow educators to view the articles published, from 1997 - 2003. The periodical published articles to assist educators in integrating information technology tools into the classroom. Since the periodical stopped publishing in 2003 the sources may become out of date. Content: This site had many articles, but may be difficult for someone without a particular article they were searching for to use. Since this was a peer-reviewed periodical the articles can be reliable as sources. There are articles on a variety of topics. Design: There were two ways to search the sites articles. Users could either browse articles or search with a library like search tool. This is a very basic site with a white background, black text and blue accents, there are no pictures.

Brianna O'Shea October 13, 2014 Overview: The purpose of this article is to talk about what the purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was and how it has changed. Even though NCLB hasn't reached the goal it was designed to in the allotted time, the change of focusing on growth rather than test scores, has shown an improvement in schools and has seen to help students. The audience of this article is those doubting what good NCLB can offer and why it is still in effect. Overall, this article shows a side perhaps unknown about NCLB and would be good for potential teachers to read. Content: The purpose of the article and its audience is clearly identified, as well as the author yet no links are given to contact or look into the author. The article is recent and links to other sites work and provide good additional information. The purpose, informal, is clear and its purpose is achieved. There seems to be a little bias towards NCLB, yet the article does point out on critique of the Act and accepts it.  Design: The title is clear and the article is well organized with headers and good lengths of paragraphs. The sponsor and copyright are clearly identified while the site is easily maneuverable. The links to other sites are helpful to look at if confused or wish for additional information. Information is easy to find under each header. There are no additional links for the author or similar articles from this page. 

The second article I had found was based out of California and was explaining what high school and administration does to protect themselves and their students without pushing any legal limits or freedom of speech. I think that this article was also meant for the general public and other school administrators as it was posted in a school magazine. I enjoyed this article because it wasn't a study, instead it spoke more about what the schools did to take action about this dilemma. This article game a wide variety of things that the administrators did to stop the bullying. As well as giving examples on things that they couldn't change or stop. Such as some of the students were able to outsmart the firewalls blocking them from specific websites or freedom of speech. This article also did a good job on giving a great example of how a principle of a prestigious high school that focused on arts got involved with a cyberbullying incident. It showed how administration in many other schools can struggle with managing their students in a lawful manner without crossing a line.

The second article I had found was based out of California and was explaining what high school and administration does to protect themselves and their students without pushing any legal limits or freedom of speech. I think that this article was also meant for the general public and other school administrators as it was posted in a school magazine. I enjoyed this article because it wasn't a study, instead it spoke more about what the schools did to take action about this dilemma. This article game a wide variety of things that the administrators did to stop the bullying. As well as giving examples on things that they couldn't change or stop. Such as some of the students were able to outsmart the firewalls blocking them from specific websites or freedom of speech. This article also did a good job on giving a great example of how a principle of a prestigious high school that focused on arts got involved with a cyberbullying incident. It showed how administration in many other schools can struggle with managing their students in a lawful manner without crossing a line.

Posted by Craig Shepherd on 9/16/09 Overview: Wikipedia is an open-authoring encyclopedia. The purpose of the website is to provide information about any topic to the general public. Content is generated and reviewed for accuracy by the public. Although public documents can include inaccurate information--particularly on hot topics, much of the content is stable. Links to other pages generally function properly, and content is easy to understand. Content: Although maligned by many individuals as a site that promotes inaccurate information, Wikipedia has much educational merit. However, based on the Wiki style of web design, anyone can make changes to articles and can do so anonymously. This means the learned as well as the ignorant have equal access to contribute. Although references at the end of articles may support the credibility of a work, they do not guarantee it and require additional time to peruse. Because authors can post anonymously, it is difficult to tell whether the article is accurate, timely, relevant, authoritative, and so forth. Yet, recent news events highlight the work of this organization to increase credibility of their content. Additionally, one of the purposes of a wiki is to foster collaboration and group authorship. Although individual contributors may not be listed, inaccurate information can be quickly corrected--though it takes some understanding of wiki syntax which may be difficult for beginners to learn. Despite potential inaccuracies, Wikipedia is a good place to begin your research if you realize that contents may contain biases, inaccuracies, and unsupported claims. Design: The site is well designed. A common look and feel permeate web pages, ads and other distractions are not posted, graphics and other visual elements often highlight important points, and links to related articles are prevalent. Several languages are also supported. Modification and revision dates are clearly displayed and the wiki allows you to

Trevor Lenell The first website I am going to evaluate is Wikipedia.org. The educational site that we have been told to never use for a paper because it is editable by anyone. The intended audience for Wikipedia is someone who just wants a quick overview of the subject they are looking for. It does not cover in-depth content or have large amounts of research in the articles. Everything is available on Wikipedia. All you have to do is search anything in google and Wikipedia article will almost always be in the top three links to show up. The design of Wikipedia is actually fairly good. It loads quickly there's a table of contents for each page and it is easy to find the information you are looking for. The content of Wikipedia is where things get a little shaky when it comes to looking for quality information. Since anyone can edit any page aside from a few that have been locked the information of Wikipedia is not necessarily the best way to find information. We do not know who has edited the site or what their credentials are and we have no way of knowing whether it is a great set of information or a joke put on by someone with an internet connection. There is however a bright side. At the bottom of each Wikipedia article there is the references. These are a great tool to find what was used and what is available to use outside of Wikipedia with the same information. These references are a great way to find academic information from good quality sites and can be used when searching through Wikipedia to find actual research. The design of Wikipedia is pretty good. It works equally well on my internet explorer, Firefox, and google chrome. It loads easily, is easy to navigate, and easy to read. Each graphic and audio file on the site serves a purpose to support the material being read. Overall Wikipedia is a great site to navigate and its shortcomings stem from it being able to be edited by anyone. The next website I will evaluate is NationalGeographic.com. An ed

Caleb Huber 10/13/14 The URL article is a news story about a teen suicide. I chose this website as an example of a potentially biased source of the effects of cyber bullying. Although it has some pertinent facts, I would want to use it with caution. The web page is intended to convince parents that cyber bullying can lead to teen suicide. Its intended audience is parents. I would rate the design of the webpage as good but the content as limited. I would rate the content of the overall website as limited and the design as exceptional. The webpage was last updated November 19, 2007. There is no available link to contact the website. At first look, the content of the page looks informative. The web page is an extensive new article, but it is a little outdated. Since it is a new site there are links, but they are mostly unrelated top stories. The article has quotes and facts from credible sources. The article itself doesn't seem biased, but it is always important to realize news articles rely on sensationalism. The individual author of the article is not posted, but it is clear he works for ABC news since it is posted on abcnews.com. The website doesn't have a lot of interactivity, but it is a well written article. As an example of cyber bullying, this article has good content. However, one article is limited in scope. A paper on the effects of cyber bullying would need more references. A large label on the top of the page shows that the article is funded by ABC News. The article is clearly labeled and easy to navigate. The design follows a typical news format and is not eye catching. As a news site, it is designed to put the hottest and latest news first. This makes finding older or more specific articles somewhat challenging. The homepage can be easily found, and the website loads quickly. The index for the website can be easily found, and there is a variety of media available. However, very little of this media pertains to cyb

Overview: This website is fun and informational providing many items on common questions and articles. There is an updated homepage with photos articles polls, quizzes, and videos. This site aims to explain everything from DNA coding to car transmission problems in simple articles and videos. This site's intended audience is for adults due to the article and links provided. Content: This website provides up to date headings and topics on anything and everything you may want to know. It has tabs for adventure, animals, auto, communication, computer, electronics, entertainment, food, geography, health, history, home and garden, money, people, and science. When you access the site is easy to determine the content and intended audience. There is available information and the authors and researches for the different articles. The information is always constantly being updated and revised so nothing is out of date. The links also are easy to use and work properly. The information and content presented is not biased. All the articles also are valid and have an intended purpose to entertain or inform. Design: The design of howstuffworks.com is easy to use, organized and attractive. The homepage provides many interesting headings, photos, and videos. It is easy to read and very understandable and accessible. The website downloads efficiently and the site is appealing and grabs tor attention. The sites also provide copyright informational the provider is clearly identified. The links are clear and helpful and all the information including the photos videos and articles serve a clear purpose to the site.

Overview The first website that I evaluated was howstuffworks.com. This is an educational website aimed at all age groups that can answer questions about how many different things work. The website offers a variety of different resources. An example of the resources would be how the site teaches skills that everyone should have on topics such as money. Overall, I thought this website was great. It's easy to navigate, and offers many different types of educational materials. Content Not only is this website educational, but it is fun as well. You can come to the website to find out something serious, but you can also come to find out something that's entertaining and fun. The content of the website is easy to understand for any age. Things are explained simply so that you can actually learn at your own pace. It's also easy to find out about the website by clicking on the "about us" link at the bottom of the page. There you can find who sponsors the site and where the content comes from. Design The website is very easy to navigate through. As soon as you get to the homepage you are faced with many different tabs and also a search bar so you can find exactly what you are looking for. In addition to the tabs, there are resources such as videos and blogs that you can get access to through the site.

Overview: This websites main focus is to breakdown simple mechanics of almost anything from how a toaster works to economic policies of the year 2011. This is a source to explore the world around us and understand the things that we encounter and use daily, as well as providing a guide for users ion new endeavors into of learning. Concept: The classification of materials found within this writing is more vast than an encyclopedia. It includes multi-media and interaction presentations to gain the attention of the reader and create a better understanding. The material can become more complex and technical, but can be a resource for any researcher. I would recommend for teachers seeking to better explain concepts or to satisfy the curiosity of a learner. Design: Clean, simple, and precise. This website has a rather challenging searching process, but a pursuing researcher can use the search tool to peruses topics that coincides. The clean layout of the material and explanations make the learning process something to be a part of. As well as a social network application installed to share the knowledge of "how stuff works".

Ryan Magrum Sept 15th, 2011 Overview: The purpose of this site is to provide information and updates in science in the form of news articles to the general educated public. There are links to scientific news magazines as well as links to other scientific web sites. My overall impression of this site is that it is easy to read and navigate and there is a plethora of knowledge available within the contents. It's great for students studying specific topics in science to read. Content: PhysOrg, at first glance, is not flashy and aimed at consumers. The main goal of the site is general knowledge and entertainment in the form of scientific reading. The articles, with topics ranging from nano-science to medicine, are written with very few technical terms making the content easy to comprehend by the average educated individual including high school students with background instruction in the topic of interest. The articles are news updates on the emergence of new things in science sometimes with a brief explanation of the mechanism behind the new discovery complete with figures. Such articles would be a great starting point for a research paper. The articles also include hyperlinked citations to the primary sources. There are many links to other scientific news sites. Design: This site is not aimed at attracting a passerby web surfer. The target audience is attracted to the content within and already has a general idea of what they want to get out of PhysOrg. Therefore, the site is made easy to navigate and less flashy with few advertisements and the ads on the site are related to the scientific topics and links on the site. For example: an ad for paper that is really white for printing off the articles to read as a hard copy while making the articles easier to read. The links to the articles are strait forward not to bias clicking on any specific article if in the "spotlight stories" area. All the articles are arranged for the navigator to find specific arti

Overview: This article is written by Dr. Michael Morales. He goes over the themes of Shakespeare's "King Lear," and effectively summarizes the play. The blog is updated, and uses current language to describe an old piece of text. This article would be intended for students of High School age. Content: The article is very descriptive with the summary of the play. He is also descriptive with the themes, and cites examples of all of his claims. The information is accurate to the plotline, and the language is correct and meaningful. Design: The website is pleasing to the eye, and has many links to different articles. All of the links work, and it is very community-based. It is scholarly without ads and all information.

Overview: This article is written by Dr. Michael Morales. He goes over the themes of Shakespeare's "King Lear," and effectively summarizes the play. The blog is updated, and uses current language to describe an old piece of text. This article would be intended for students of High School age. Content: The article is very descriptive with the summary of the play. He is also descriptive with the themes, and cites examples of all of his claims. The information is accurate to the plotline, and the language is correct and meaningful. Design: The website is pleasing to the eye, and has many links to different articles. All of the links work, and it is very community-based. It is scholarly without ads and all information.

In the first article that I found, there was a study done on cyberbullying in Greece. They looked at all things that could impact the bully and the victim from things such as parenting to online impulsiveness. I believe the intended audience is for the general public especially parents and school staff personnel. As I read through this article I find that it is a very good study with relevant information and a good purpose. The introduction did a great job on explaining what cyberbully is and who are the bullies and victims. They also did a great job on explaining why people bully other online such as gaining a sense of empowerment or simply out of boredom. The article gave plenty of statistics that made the article easier to follow and understand. The results were very easy to understand which was nice when trying to apply this study to something else. I also think that they did a good job on correlating parent to child bonding and how that could make an impact. Something I did not particularly like about this study is that it was done in one place, on an island. I think that it is hard to truly measure how much adolescents get cyberbullied with the study if over a single group of kids. This study really focuses on the fact that cyberbullying is a big problem in the world of adolescents.

In the first article that I found, there was a study done on cyberbullying in Greece. They looked at all things that could impact the bully and the victim from things such as parenting to online impulsiveness. I believe the intended audience is for the general public especially parents and school staff personnel. As I read through this article I find that it is a very good study with relevant information and a good purpose. The introduction did a great job on explaining what cyberbully is and who are the bullies and victims. They also did a great job on explaining why people bully other online such as gaining a sense of empowerment or simply out of boredom. The article gave plenty of statistics that made the article easier to follow and understand. The results were very easy to understand which was nice when trying to apply this study to something else. I also think that they did a good job on correlating parent to child bonding and how that could make an impact. Something I did not particularly like about this study is that it was done in one place, on an island. I think that it is hard to truly measure how much adolescents get cyberbullied with the study if over a single group of kids. This study really focuses on the fact that cyberbullying is a big problem in the world of adolescents.

Overview: The National Geographic website is informational and entertaining it is Is full of startling photography and mind-expanding writing on space, the environment, animals, and even world music. Its purpose is to inform people on interesting news and events along with many entertaining stories and topics. Its intended audience is for anyone and everyone even a link for children. Content: There is so much content and information on this site. On the homepage there are top stories, videos, photos, and polls. There are tabs to photography, environment, travel, adventure, National Geographic TV, kids, and shop. There are also links to the magazine, news, animals, science, video, education, maps, games, music, blogs, movies, in the field, and a site index. When you access the site is easy to determine the content and intended audience. There is available information about the authors and researches for the different articles. The information is always constantly being updated and revised so nothing is out of date. The links also are easy to use and work properly. The information and content presented is not biased and achieves the intended purpose of informing and entertaining Design: The design of the National geographic website is very organized and easy to navigate through its many links of information. It is full of eye-catching photos and colorful links and tabs. It is easy to read and very understandable and accessible. The website downloads efficiently and the site is appealing and grabs tor attention. There is a site index and search box. The sites also provide copyright informational the provider is clearly identified. The links are clear and helpful and all the information including the photos videos and articles serve a clear purpose to the site.

This website is highly recommended in the world of educators. National Geographic is a well-known magazine. The purpose of the site is to make their information more accessible. When looking for an article for a science report this is a good site to go to. The audience for National Geographic is from 5-100; they have articles designed for young children but also sophisticated articles for a more mature audience. Also on this website if you wanted a hard copy of the magazine you could subscribe. My overall impression was very good. The content of the website is easy to maneuver around and find. Because National Geographic is a well-known magazine you know that the information presented is reliable and accurate. The website has access to games and videos to further explore the concepts.  As for design, it scores just as high as content. The homepage is appealing to look at and easy to use. When searching for a topic many articles come up giving many different perspectives one could choose from. The site has many colorful pictures that make your research more appealing to conduct.  Overall this website is very well designed and easy to use. 

Casey KarchOctober 6, 2012 Overview:  The purpose of this site is to inform the reader on current news happening in, on, or around the ocean. It is set up so all ages can use it, but the home page is more for a literate patron due to the scholarly articles. Children can use all kinds of programs throughout the site, such as ocean portal, to learn about the ocean and it's inhabitants. Educators are benefited with an entire link to help with lesson plans. Resources are abundant and vary in type. There are articles, media videos/pictures, and social networking connections to name a few. Overall, a user could not go wrong with this site for an educational purpose. The Smithsonian sponsors Ocean Portal and all content can be trusted as a viable source. Content: At first look, the content is exceptional. Content of the site is easily determined. Information on the author is not available because many people compose this site. Authors for individual articles can be found though. The information is current to date, new articles are always added and old ones kept on the site to reference. Information quality cannot be rivaled; all information is acceptable for education. Design: The design of this page is extremely well done. The home page is eye catching and informational as well as all the subpages. When the user wants to navigate, links are clearly labeled and it is easy to maneuver. Multimedia is everywhere; a form of multimedia backs almost all articles. The revision times for Ocean Portal cannot be found, but the site is well kept. 

Problems with Distant education My first web page is an online newspaper with different stories that the newspaper covers. The purpose for the online newspaper is for anyone to look up the stories that they have. The audience is intended for people who are interested in the news and want to catch up on what is happening The web resources its self is nice and easy to fallow, it shows many different stories about any topic and subject of the views choice. In this news article, there isn't an author, which I find to be very odd because usually news articles provide the author. It does show when the article was published and where it was publish. There was a contact provided, but I do not know if this was to the person who wrote the article, or to the person who knows more on the subject at hand. The home page was eye appalling and it was easy to navigate though because the different stories were clear and easy to get to. The date was not clear which is surprising because it is a news article and I would think that it would have been identified. The news sites it self has current information and stories that are reported all around the world.

Problems with Distant education

Talks about why and how distant education is used My first web page is an online newspaper with different stories that the newspaper covers. The purpose for the online newspaper is for anyone to look up the stories that they have. The audience is intended for people who are interested in the news and want to catch up on what is happening The web resources its self is nice and easy to fallow, it shows many different stories about any topic and subject of the views choice. In this news article, there isn't an author, which I find to be very odd because usually news articles provide the author. It does show when the article was published and where it was publish. There was a contact provided, but I do not know if this was to the person who wrote the article, or to the person who knows more on the subject at hand. The home page was eye appalling and it was easy to navigate though because the different stories were clear and easy to get to. The date was not clear which is surprising because it is a news article and I would think that it would have been identified. The news sites it self has current information and stories that are reported all around the world.

Talks about why and how distant education is used

Hailey Dungan April 15, 2015 The audience of this articles, similar to the last, is one who is skeptical of Shakespeare and his writing. Skeptics of his literature and even his life itself, the article actively researches the man's life. The articles was written in 2006 by a Mr. Doug Stewart, a writer for the Smithsonian magazine. The author is presented with no credentials, and the site does not offer links to his bio. The articles presents some interesting information, yet once again, I am unsure if I would use this in a school setting. I may use this article as a spring board for discussion. The content of this article is presented early. From the opening paragraph the reader is informed of the purpose of the piece. The article touches on the missing records that are seemingly nonexistent from his life. The amount of fame he holds in comparison to the lack of information about his life makes readers uncomfortable and often turns them into skeptics. The information about the author of this article is absent, however given the length and in depth research presented to us we can infer he is credible. You cannot contact him, though he should be congratulated on his correct use of grammar and spelling. Links to other sources are present, and the links do work. The site design is clean and professional. The sites homepage could use some livening. The black and white backdrop is organized, however not eye catching. A search option is available, though directions for the site are clearly presented. The information for this article is vast. There is a strong amount of information which may be used by students in a class room. They introduce a tree branch method of topics that in individual may use to deeply understand Shakespeare. The links to the other sites are useful. This article is good for both English and History.

This page reviewed by Joseph Scherden on 1/21/2011 Content Review- The articles in this issue of the online journal are all based on research and they are performed by educated professionals. (The first article is written by two Professors in in Education fields specific to the articles subject area) The page shows that it was published sometime in 2010 but full information is not shown. Design Review- The design for this website layout is most effective in its use of tabs to seperate broad subjects. The page this will link you too has a less effective layout. The page this links too could have a smaller layout with links to information, but instead it is a long list of atricles and abstracts. Not bad, but not as clear and clean as it could be. Overall Review- This is a credible and useful page for educators. The articles are relevant to Education and the Authors are credible. The information is recent and supported with further research that is listed in each article. This page could be a little bit cleaner but maintains a professional appeal with no ads to cluter the page.

Morganne Harper The site http://specialed.about.com/ contains a lot of materials that could be useful when teaching or handling a child with special needs. There are many articles talking about behavior and how to handle certain types. There are also links to sheets that help with fundamental skills such as counting. Towards the bottom on the left, there are more detailed sections that you could navigate to, which would give you more specific information on a certain area. At a quick glance, it is not easy to see that it is about special education. There is small gray font near the top that says special education, but not much else. The authors and resources of their information is relatively easy to find. It is at the top of any article or link that you click on. I had trouble finding the date that anything was published or updated. Some areas that should be put together aren't and some things are put in what seems like random places. Information contained on the site is of good quality. It is meant to be a helpful source to utilize, and does a decent job at giving content to allow this to happen. The homepage opened quickly and lead me to what I was looking for. Near the bottom of the page there are multiple colors in links that draw your eyes to them, but on the top and in the middle there was a lack of appeal. It looked like something about "boring" education. You have to scroll for a little bit to get to the links that you might want, until then there are just articles that seem to be in random order. Some of the graphics that are used as clip art for articles are repeated, losing the effect and interest.

The specific article I chose from this website is aimed at anyone interested in stories regarding the English language being taught internationally. The site itself holds a lot of articles in regards to a lot of differing subjects, so it can be a site for all people and all ages. This specific article discusses the lack of proper English education and English educators within other languages, and discusses how, with the right teachers, students learning English in other places would be much better off. The purpose of the site is very clear. Authors and sponsors are noted, and the last revision date (2015) is at the bottom. Content seems up-to-date, and the articles and the content within the articles seem like they are written by credible authors who know what they are talking about. The content is informative to those who care to read about the specific articles, and provide adequate information for those who are interested in them. The home page is very eye catching, and the images and links on the page seem like they all have a purpose. The site is very easy to navigate, and the design is great. I especially liked the fact that you can scroll through the home page and the article titles are in bold but they also have a brief description and lead in that makes you want to read the articles. The contact information of authors and sponsors are given. Overall, it's a very well-designed site.

Lacey Boyles April 15, 2015 This website ran very smoothly. I was able to find what I was looking for and also browse other articles easily. The intended audience is anyone who is interested in early childhood development. The purpose of this site is to give advice to parents/teachers, and also ideas on games/activities/art. Over all this is a very well set up website. This site is set up very well. Things are easy to locate as they have blogs set up in different categories. From what I read through the authors grammar and spelling is all correct. They try and set up two blogs a week, I would say they stay pretty current. I did not have any problem clicking on different blogs/articles, I was able to access all that I clicked on. The only thing I think they could add is links to other websites that relate to what they are talking about in a specific blog/article. When first clicking on this website it is very clear as to where you are. The site is nothing fancy so it does not take away from the content. On the homepage there is not too much going on and is easy to read. There is a variety of different information that would help with many different questions. From what I read through articles seem to be up to date and there is not a lot of very old material. This is a website that I will be returning to in the future.